Goodnight, Sweetheart
by PleatherBoots08
Summary: Cole Turner has fallen in love with yet another Halliwell and has a momentary scare when he thinks Phoebe could see him.


**Goodnight, Sweetheart**

**Summary: **Cole Turner has fallen in love with yet another Halliwell and has a momentary scare when he thinks Phoebe could see him.

**Warning:** None

* * *

The being that was Cole Turner, former badass of the underworld stood over a crib, smiling at the infant who was gurgling and drooling. She was beautiful, and Cole was transfixed by the seven pound child. Cole could honestly say he had fallen in love for a second time in his life. This time, it was his wife's daughter, and he loved her as much as he loved Phoebe Halliwell, whom he still considered his wife. A mere piece of paper ending their marriage meant nothing when it was compared to the words he uttered to Phoebe. His time as a District Attorney had taught him how meaningless a piece of paper was. No, Phoebe was his wife in every way, and her happiness was all he needed in this odd existence he found himself in.

"I hope you'll be as great a witch as your Aunt Prue was." Cole told the baby. "As much as we argued, she was suspicious of me from the beginning."

Cole smirked as he remembered his arguments with Prue Halliwell whenever Phoebe was away. Their confrontations might have knocked the Halliwell Manor off the map. Cole's smirk faltered as he tried to touch little Prue. If only things had been different. However, Cole knew he deserved to be where he was; unable to communicate with Phoebe, forced to watch as she moved on with her life…well, that wasn't truly an imposition, not now. It had been the most painful thing to see Phoebe give up on love. Sending Drake dè Mon to her had been at first one of the hardest decisions to make, but Cole had realized that his love for Phoebe had transcended into something that allowed him to let her go. He hadn't understood it before. To him, love had meant possession and passion until Phoebe had given up on love and was seriously considering life as a spinster. If there was one thing Phoebe was born to do was be a mother. She was definitely different from Piper's vision of motherhood, but Phobe loved children. A baby could lift her spirits so high that Cole knew she could never be childless. Now, the result of his effort was lying before him and she was the most perfect little girl Cole had ever seen. She had Phoebe's dark hair and brown eyes – Coops too for that matter, ten perfect fingers and toes, and everything a baby should have. He was there when she was born just a few days ago when Phoebe pronounced her to be perfect. Cole agreed.

"Prudence. I can tell you're going to be a handful too, unlike your namesake. She could be a little goody-two shoes sometimes, but if you take after your mother, then I'm sure your parents are in for a hell of a time. Sorry, but you're going to have to get used to my use of profanity – not that hell is a bad word, a bad place to be, sure, but not a bad word."

Prue, of course, had no interest in replying to him since she didn't even know he was there. Cole desperately hoped she never saw him either because only the near-dead could interact with him. However, Prue _was_ the first-born of the trouble magnet Charmed Sister, and most likely would have an active power too. Empaths weren't likely to birth empaths. Cole anticipated that Prue would always be able to read people on some level. She was, after all, the product of a Cupid and an Empath. Both had the ability to see into people in some manner. Cole looked at Prue once again. He hadn't much interaction with babies, but he felt Prue would follow her mother's path to be a kick ass witch. She didn't appear to be a Cupid.

"You don't want to be a Cupid, do you?"

Of course, the baby began to cry as if in protest and Cole could only watch helplessly as Phoebe bustled into the nursery.

"Hi Baby, what's the matter? Are you hungry sweetie? I dunno about you, but Mommy could just gobble you up!"

"Phoebe. You're a great mother, just like I always knew you'd be." Cole told her as she checked Prue's diaper.

Of course, she didn't hear him.

Coop materialized next to them with a bottle in hand. "Here you go." He said, passing the bottle to Phoebe.

"Thanks." Phoebe said, focusing all her attention onto the baby in her arms. "Who's a hungry girl, huh?"

Coop smiled and put his arms around Phoebe and Prue. "Prue is." He said, and Cole could see the bags under his eyes and the love shining through them. They were good together.

"Yes. She needs to sleep. It feels like _I_ just went to sleep."

"I can take her, Phoebe." Coop told her.

Phoebe smiled gratefully and passed Prue over. She kissed both her daughter and husband before settling into the chair that was in the corner of the room where Cole was standing.

"I'll look after her, Phoebe." Cole told her. "I'll watch over her children, her grandchildren…so you can relax and not worry too much."

Cole stood watch over the three for some time before Phoebe stirred from her doze. She blinked sleepily up at her husband and daughter.

"Coop." Phoebe called from her chair. "I'm going back to bed."

Coop nodded. "Go on. I'll stay with her for a bit."

"Okay."

Cole followed Phoebe to the hallway, into her bedroom, and out to the balcony where a three-quarter moon hung in the sky. "Oh Cole. I wonder if our baby…"

"He was never ours, Phoebe." Cole said.

Phoebe sniffed. "If only…"

"If only, but Phoebe, he was the source of all evil. You wouldn't have been able to destroy him."

"Goodnight Cole, wherever you are."

"Goodnight, Phoebe."

It wasn't the first time Phoebe had had a one-sided conversation to him. The first time he heard one was on his second or third day in Phoebe's house. She had recently moved from her condo and Cole was surprised to find himself in Phoebe's new home. He hadn't known she was thinking about buying, but figured Phoebe saw the house, fell in love with it and bought it as soon as she could. It was so like her sometimes. However, it wasn't before long before he was shocked and sad to learn that Phoebe was mourning their child, the child that was stolen from her womb by the seer. Cole hadn't really considered the baby their child. The baby stopped being theirs once he made the decision to raise the child as evil and began to poison him with the Seer's potions. The child would have become the strongest evil being on the planet having been born from the source of all evil and a Charmed one. That pregnancy could have killed Phoebe too, and even though it was once his child, Cole knew its destruction was for the best. He'd have killed the little beast himself for hurting Phoebe.

As Phoebe settled into bed, she turned to face the window. Cole immediately stopped moving as Phoebe's eyes locked onto his. Moments like this made Cole wonder if Phoebe could sense him. Occasionally, she would look straight at him but dismiss whatever she was feeling. Whenever she did that, Cole knew that he was her one true love, not Coop. The apple had predicted it after all, when Phoebe was in the past to stop him from kidnapping the first matriarch of the Halliwell line, Melinda Warren. Even in this form she could somewhat sense him.

"Can you see me?" He asked, knowing that Phoebe wouldn't answer. Having met an alternate future Phoebe showed him how crafty his wife could be. She'd never indicate that she could see him if she could. Cole finally moved when Phoebe's eyes closed. He left the room and returned to the nursery.

Coop was still there with Prue who was once again in the crib, this time asleep.

"Goodnight Prue, be well."

Cole nodded at Coop and left the house. He would return again soon, if only to get a glimpse of the child that should have been his. He'd also make sure his wife was well too. Cole did not want her lingering on the beast that was once growing within her, the being that had been her stolen child. However, he didn't feel the need to interfere. If she got too morose, Coop was there to comfort her and Leo was still her confidante even though he was no longer her whitelighter.

With everything in hand, Cole whisked himself away to the empty halls of magic school. It was time to pick up where he left off on his latest crime thriller.


End file.
